Pea-dropper.



, DAVID HENRY BYRID, 0F DUKE, NORTH CAROLINA.

PEA-DBOPPER.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 29, 1911.

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

Serial No. 636,108.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID H. BYRD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Duke, in the county of Harnett and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pea- Droppers; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invent-ion relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus for dropping peas, etc., and consists in the provision of a simple ordinary device of this nature adapted to be fastened to the beam of an ordinary plow and so arranged, that as the driving wheel rotates the peas may be fed out at regular intervals.

The invention comprises various details of construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically defined in the appended claim.

I illustrate my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View transversely through the apparatus and, Fig. 2 is a similar view taken in a plan at right angles to the section shown in Fig. 1, and Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are details of parts of the invention.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates a hopper mounted upon the blocks B and said blocks have fastened to their under face the bearing members C, in which the shaft D is journaled, having a driving wheel E fixed thereto and which as the wheel rotates is adapted to rotate the shaft. A cylinder member F is fastened to said shaft and has a circular recess H formed in the circumference thereof, the wall of which is provided with bayonet slots H, and K is a plug which is of a diameter. suitable to fit said recess and said plug is provided with lugs diametrically disposed and adapted to engage said slots, and when the block is inserted within the recess it may be turned causing a partial rotary motion so that the lugs will engage the slots and hold the plug securely in place. It will be noted that the plugs, (two of which are shown in the drawings) are adapted to contain each a recess of a distinct size, in order to cause one or more peas or other seed to be dropped each time the shaft makes a revolution. A scraper designated by letter R is fastened to the inner wall of the hopper and which lower free end is adapted to slide against the circumference of said cylinder, thus preventing any seed sticking to the circumference of the cylinder as it rotates, in the lower end of the hopper. Fastened to the underneath of the hopper and about said cylinder is a band T which has an opening T therein, serving to allow the seed to drop through the recess in the cylinder to the ground. In order to prevent unnecessary wear intermediate said band and cylinder, a covering S of metal is placed about the circumference of the cylinder.

The operation of my invention is readily understood and is as follows :The device being fastened to the beam of a plow in any suitable manner is operated by frictional contact of the Wheel coming against the ground and as the wheel rotates the cylinder is caused to revolve in unison therewith and any seed that falls within the recess of the block as the recess turns through the lower open end of the hopper, will be carried with the cylinder and allowed to drop by gravity through the opening in the band underneath the cylinder. In order to adjust the device to any size seeds, I have provided various plugs having different sizes of openings therein for the reception of any size of seed.

What I claim to be new is A seed dropper comprising a frame, a hopper thereon, a shaft journaled at the exit end of the hopper, a cylinder fixed to said shaft and adapted to rotate within the opening in the bottom of the hopper, a band fastened to the frame and about a portion of the circumference of the cylinder and provided with an aperture therein, said cylinder In testimony whereof I hereunto'aflix my having a recess in its periphery, the Walls signature in the presence of two Witnesses. of which are slotted, a ping therein fitted D AVID HENRY BYRD Within sald recess and havlng acup for the reception of seed, pins projecting from the Witnesses: periphery of the plug and engaging said R. E. BYBD,

slots, as shown and described. J OHN H. KNIGHT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, I). G. 1 

